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Topic: One dead of Three (Read 4499 times)

Of the three hives at my house, I have already lost one. From this I have a question.

It is 50-55 degrees here today and the stronger two hives are buzzing about. I checked the one that has been silent to find all of the bees inside long dead.

This hive was the weakest one, a combined weak hive with a late Summer swarm.

I had medicated all three hives, wrapped them in roof paper and placed a feeder on top. This hive had some of the best drawn comb and a good amount of honey, partially moved over from the neighboring hives to give the weak one a boost.

Virtually everything remains intact as the day I wrapped them up. Dead bees (including drones) litter the bottom board, the scattered brood lie either partially emerged or only partially intact, still in cells.

The only â€œgroupingâ€ of dead bees are a couple of clumps in the center of the upper deep, near the queen, many head-in to the combs. There is plenty of honey a frame away to either side and a feeder directly above.

I assume that there were not enough bees in this weak hive to keep them warm enough to even get to the feeder, medicine or honey.

My question is two fold.

1) What should I do with this hive full of GREAT comb and a good deal of honey (as well as dead bees and brood)?

2) Is there anything else that I should investigate before I do it?

Being as this is only my second year in, I am very nervous about scavenging this hive for the other bees and transferring a parasite or disease to my otherwise healthy hives.

I think that continuous brooding has killed bees. That will happen if they do not stop larva feeding before winter.

Take honey away. You can use them. You can try if you put brood frames out and birds clean the combs.

But also last evening I read from Australian report, that they tried to raise brood through cold winter in order to get more bees, but nosema killed colonies.

When honey is crystallized, give it for beehive next summer, when hive has 3 boxes. Tear capping away, and put 2-3 frame in the middle of brood frames. Next day you can take frames out, and fill them with water. So crystalls will melt easier. Bees lift the honey to super.

Bee may carry crystalls out as rubbish but water helps them to melt honey.

Do not give frames when nectar flow is coming in. Bees may recap combs.

Also you can put whole box of uncapped frames into the hive. But next day you must spray crystall combs with water. Fill each frame with water.

Anonymous

Sounds to me like finman nailed it. They were probably anchored to the brood and couldn't get to the stores. Does seem odd that they would still have brood in December in Connecticut. Especially the drones. Those buggers should have been gone long ago.

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Anonymous

Yesterday here in Michigan it was 56F and I had bees flying. They were even doing the orientation flight at all the hives. Once that was over they were just coming anf going. Whats the point you ask? There were drones in the bunch. Not from just one hive mind you but a couple from each hive. I watched them for a long time to see if I could figure out just how many drones there were in a hive, figured not more that 4 nor less then 2. I read some place where all the drones are not kicked out in the fall. Some are allowed to stay just in case they are needed.

:) I didn't pull any frames to see if I had brood but I think not or very little if there was any. :D Al

Somethimes queen disapear during copulating flight or what is the name.

This makes the most sense to me Finnman. Confusing to see drones this late in the season in New England unless the queen was gone and laying workers took over. Since laying workers can only lay drone, then the hive is doomed with no workers even to bring up the drone brood.

Start again in the spring as Finnman says.

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By the rude bridge that arched the floodTheir flag to Aprils breeze unfurledHere once the embattled farmers stoodAnd fired the shot heard round the world-Emerson

Now that I have cleaned out the rest of the hive, what can I do with the frames that have remaining immature or capped brood still. I cannot remove them completely and, of course, they will grow mold if they sit in the frames in my basement shop.

Bees are very good house cleaners,don't throw away a good frame because of a little dead brood or mold.As long as the hive did not die of foul brood,AFB or EFB.your safe to use them in the spring.Bees will clean out all dead brood and the queen will be laying in a matter of days.

Bees are very good house cleaners,don't throw away a good frame because of a little dead brood or mold.As long as the hive did not die of foul brood,AFB or EFB.your safe to use them in the spring.Bees will clean out all dead brood and the queen will be laying in a matter of days.

Bees will do cleaning work, but if brood are whole winter in combs, they may be like rotten slim at next summer, and it is difficult to get clean that comb. I have seen many times, that bees do not get their combs clean and new larvas will be sick.

If your brood is rotten and slimy it sounds like you have a problem with FOUL BROOD.You also say the larva becomes sick after they are raised in your cleaned out combs ,one more sign that tells me you have a problem.One more sign is smell,does your dead brood have a bad rotten smell. Bee Larva will not get sick from cleaned out comb that the bees either were chilled or starved to death. I reuse my dead outs every year just brush off any dead bees that might be on the outside of the comb.